Receta Building the Kolokoy Home: We’ve Moved In
I know that I have already apologized to you countless of times before for neglecting to update this blog, but I have to do it for the nth time! The reason for my two-week hiatus in the blogosphere is the fact that my husband and I have finally moved in to OUR OWN house!!! *me doing a carthwheel*
We timed the blessing of our humble abode on our 4thwedding anniversary. We welcomed family members and a few friends who gladly took time to celebrate with us. My husband and I felt really blessed that day despite the many struggles leading to that day. It didn’t help that I got really sick on the same week of our planned house blessing. It started with what seemed like a harmless sore throat on a Sunday evening. But before I knew it, I was already coughing non-stop the following day. I’m four months pregnant so my OB/GYN didn’t give me any meds. I was advised to take 1000mg of Ascorbic acid, take lots of water and calamansi juice, and most importantly, I was ordered to take a much needed rest. I had to skip work for an entire week! My husband single-handedly took care of everything – cleaning the house, running errands and making sure we have internet and cable before we move in. And to make things even harder, he needed to take care of his very sick pregnant wife who could not even get out of bed. It also didn’t help that there were delays and a lot of mix up with the delivery of the furniture we purchased from SM Home Makati. (I’ll tell you more about their incompetence if I ever find the time! Haha!) And to make things worse, it seems that the entire priesthood decided to go on a retreat or a pilgrimage on June 12! My sister-in-law has a lot of friends who are priests because she used to work in Don Bosco. Unfortunately, everybody she knows was going on a retreat. We then went to our parish, but we were told that they don’t have an available priest on that day. We went to nearby parishes, but we were declined. They told us that they could not help us because we’re non-parishioners even if we told them that our parish didn’t have an available priest! Medyo nakakainit ng ulo! Una, namimili ba ang Diyos?! At pangalawa, kapag nagsisimba ba ako, sinasabi ko ba na, “Ay teka, hindi ako mag love offering kasi hindi naman niyo ako parishioner!” Ganun ba ang labanan?! :p But Boyet and I knew that God will make a way for that special day to happen. Kung kailangang lumibot kami sa lahat ng simbahan, gagawin namin! Boyet was supposed to go church-hopping a day before the house blessing, but he got a call from my sister-in-law before he left the house. Apparently, she knows someone from Tondo Church. =)
With God’s grace (and my sister-in-law’s kenekshensss, haha), we were able to have our house blessed on our desired date. After blessing the entire house, the priest also blessed me and Boyet. =) We invited family members and a few friends over for lunch. I just bought spaghetti, pansit malabon and pichi-pichi from Amber. We also bought more than a hundred sticks of pork barbecue from my aunt. Mama cooked bopis, pamplina and her specialty, lengua in white sauce (which the guests really loved!!! Hi, Abby and Aubrey! :p). And my sister-in-law prepared the fried chicken. Mama also bought leche flan (which some of the guests gladly took home) and I got boxes of brownies from my My Sweets’ Haven owned by my friend, Joie! =) Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos that day! I was trying to do some minor chores while struggling to be at my best considering that I was still recovering from flu. So ayun, wala akong picture ng food, ng house at ng guests. Except for this super linaw stolen shot of Father doing the final prayer before blessing me and Boyet. Haha!
And thank God for Abby’s Instagram account, I had a second picture to remind me of that day! Nyahahaha!
My husband and I are just very glad that a lot of our guests complimented the food we served. Lalong lalo na ang lengua ni Mama! Plus, some of the guests who had the chance to tour around the house complimented how we designed it and how we were able to maximize the space. Nakaka-proud lang because we didn’t hire an interior designer for it. I just spent hours on Pinterest to get some pegs, and my husband did most of the sketching and planning. We were just so lucky that my uncle is a seasoned carpenter. Hihi!
We really felt blessed that day. Aside from the presence of our family and close friends, we really felt how God moved mountains to make that day possible. Mama was really exhausted that day. Even if I told her not to cook, she still insisted. Sabi niya, “Huling pagod ko na ‘to para sa inyo!” Nakalimutan niya yatang mag-aalaga pa siya ng apo sooooon! :p My sisters-in-law also helped big time with cooking and cleaning. Buti na lang swerte ako sa mga hipag! :p One of my aunts also spent hours washing the dishes after the house blessing. And our friends showered us with really nice housewarming gifts! Sinadya ko talagang hindi bumili ng ibang gamit dahil alam kong I have galante friends! Bwahaha! We had instant chopping board, can opener, containers, pillows and many more! Bwahaha!
My husband wanted to stay in our own house right away. Because I got sick and we were too busy preparing for the renovations, we failed to plan something for our wedding anniversary. We usually go on trips or staycations at the very least, but that obviously didn’t happen this year. So he told me that we should just sleep in our own house on that same day. Para lang daw kaming nag staycation! Ayun, hindi kami nakatulog kahit sobrang pagod! Alam mo ‘yung feeling na namahay ka sa sarili mong bahay?! Ganerrrn! Hahahaha!
There was more work the following day. I was feeling a bit guilty that my husband was doing almost everything. I was limited to cooking, washing the dishes and fixing our clothes. And for the first time in four years, we finally unboxed all of our wedding gifts! We did some sort of an inventory with the things that we already had so we have an idea of the things that we still need to get. I spent hours washing plates and containers. Our house is still a bit messy which is making the OC in me freak out. But then I tell myself that things will soon be in order after this chaos.
Although there are a lot of adjustments on our part, it’s safe to say that we’re enjoying every single second we spend in our house. There are moments when I wanted to pinch my cheeks just to convince myself that we finally have a house of our own. I look around the house and tell myself, “Eto ang mga Piso Fare na dinedma ko, mga shoes na hindi ko binili at mga sale na pikit-mata kong tiniis na isnabin!” Bwahahahaha!
But I have to admit that I get frustrated at times because I had lived in the same house for three decades, and now, I’m feeling like a fish out of water. A few days ago, I tried cooking Picadillo. According to my mom, that dish is one of my specialties. She said that I could cook it even with my eyes closed. But when I tried cooking it in MY own kitchen, it didn’t taste like the usual! I’m not sure if it was because I used a different set of tools, or because I used a different brand of patis, or the fact that I’m still getting used to my new environment.
But apparently, my husband and I are not the only ones adjusting to the new setup. A few days ago, Boyet went back to our house to get some of our things. I called my parents’ house when Boyet didn't come back after 30 minutes. When he came back, he told me that he had a chat with Mama. “Umiiyak si Mama, namimiss ka daw niya!” Mama told Boyet, “Baka napapagod na si Jerellt dun!” HAHAHAHAHAHA! I was touched, of course! But I could not stop laughing. Mama used to tell me, “Hay naku, ang tagal niyo namang lumipat. Inip na inip na akong makalayas kayong mag-asawa dito. Sigurado ako, unang araw pa lang, nanghihingi na kayo ng ulam!” Every time she said that, I would remind her that I survived living in the US for three months. I did everything by myself including cooking my daily meals! Ironically, she sent us food on our second day away from her! Ahihihi! Boyet had to remind Mama that our house is just a five-minute walk away from her!!! Ang cute ni Mama Kolokoy, right?! Kung maka-drama akala mo naman kailangan pa ng toll fee para makadalaw sa bahay namin! :p
Anyway, I promise to give you a glimpse of The Kolokoy Home. Just allow us a few weeks to settle down and get through the chaos. Wish us luck! =)
All opinions expressed here are my own. Just because something worked for me does not necessarily mean that it will work for you too, the same way that I don’t post selfies just because everybody else is doing it. Everything on this blog, unless otherwise stated, belongs to me. Plagiarism is stealing. And the Bible made it clear that thou shalt not steal. =)